Air Pollution Essay Research Paper Copyright c

Air Pollution Essay, Research Paper Copyright (c) 1996-1997 — School Sucks — http://www.schoolsucks.com The biggest FREE School papers database on the Net! IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII FileName: AIRPOL1.TXT A Subject: 025: Science: Environment A Title: Air Pollution papers = Please put your paper here. In the past few decades, people have come to recognize air pollution as a major environmental concern not just in the United States, but internationally as well. This however, is not a current issue. In fact, the importance of good air quality was reco ng or heart disease, the elderly, and very young children under the age of five (Buchdahl “Health Effects” 1). In a study taken, it was estimated that six of every ten Americans

live in an area that fails to meet one or more federal air quality standards What therefore should the citizens of this country do to prevent such catastrophes? This paper aims to expose the different types of air pollutants, where they come from, their specific effects on the environment, and what we as human beings should do t Air Pollutants First, one must take a look at the different pollutants and air toxins. Ozone is a gas that can be both beneficial and very harmful. High in the upper atmosphere it may shield the earth from the harmful ultraviolet radiation waves from the sun. Howeve Carbon monoxide is an odorless and colorless gas that comes from the exhaust of motor vehicles after fossil fuels, mainly oil and gas, are burned or combusted incompletely (Buchdahl “Health

Effects” 2). Cars, buses, and some industrial plants tend to gi The next major pollutants are hydrocarbons. These tend to be released by many man-made sources mainly fossil fuel combustion (Brownstein 1). Some hydrocarbons can directly create health hazards. Benzene, a colorless clear liquid is highly volatile, or The last two pollutants are of particular interest because they are responsible for the formation of smog and acid rain. The first one, is sulfur dioxide, which is created from the burning of fossil fuels. This pollutant may come naturally into the env The last major air pollutants in our environment are nitrogen oxides. Once again, this pollutant is formed by the combustion of fossil fuels in cars, trucks, and industrial boilers (Brownstein 1). Volcanic dust and gas,

as well as biological decay can chest colds and severe coughing (What You Can Do 4-5). These have just been a few of the many air pollutants in our atmosphere. Each creates a particular problem of its own and has certain effects on the rest of the world. Acid rain is one such particul Acid Rain The growing acid rain issue has been thought of as the environmental issue of the 1980’s. Unfortunately, this is not a new problem at all. It was first introduced to the world when a Scottish chemist by the name of Robert Agnes Smith began to study the What exactly is acid rain? It is a term used to describe the acidity of wet and dry deposition. This includes the acidity falling to Earth as rain, snow, sleet, hail, fog or mist, or wet deposition, and the dry deposition of gases and

particles (”Acid prevent new damage in the future (Acid Rain Sourcebook 1-2). There are basically two pollutants that create acid rain. It has been discovered that the combustion of fossil fuels produces the waste of gases of sulfur dioxide and nitrogen oxides. Through a series of chemical reactions, these pollutants can be chan Because acid rain can travel virtually anywhere, it’s effects on the environment is worldwide. Acids rain can affect aquatic and terrestrial life, materials, and human health. It has been determined by scientists that the extent of damage caused by thi ain eventually dissolves leaving them vulnerable to extreme damage (What You Can Do 13). The leaves then develop brown spots making it virtually impossible for them to produce their own food by